Black Sheep Blu-rayReview

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Farley and Spade reteam for this lowbrow comedy.

By R.L. Shaffer

Whenever I think of Black Sheep, I recall the famous Siskel and Ebert review in which Siskel revealed that Black Sheep was the very first film he ever walked out on in his long 26-year career. Looking back, Black Sheep isn't that bad, though it's a pretty lowbrow sophomoric adventure with little replay value.

But it's the shear spectacle of the late, great Chris Farley that makes this comedy bearable. Farley was an immensely portly fellow, but also an astounding athlete. Here, he fumbles around, falls down hillsides and somersaults as he attempts to get his brother elected to office. His comic genius might have been mostly limited to slapstick humor, but that doesn't make him any less of a genius. Farley was a master of slapstick, and like Bruce Lee, the master of martial arts, even though his films are often less than stellar, his work in those films is wholly memorable.

In Black Sheep, Farley plays Mike Donnelly, a happy-go-lucky buffoon who happens to be tarnishing his brother, a candidate for governor, caught in a heated, tight race. To keep Mike at bay, his brother hires a nerdy know-it-all assistant, Steve Dodds (David Spade), to keep Mike under wraps until the election is over. A series of goofy pratfalls, a scene-stealing performance from crazy-man Gary Busey, loads of potty humor and slapstick ensues, some of which is funny, but most of which fails to work.

Unfortunately, there's little fresh about the duo's follow-up to the cult hit, Tommy Boy. Black Sheep basically replays the best moments from that film, just transported to a new setting, with little new to add to the show. Spade is sniveling as usual. Farley is oafish, but well meaning. Mike's politician brother makes a few missteps, but sees the error of his ways. Nothing is really reinvented here, just rehashed.

Even worse, the characters are a lot harder to like this time around. At least in Tommy Boy, Farley's character seemed like a decent person, even if he was an idiot. Here, Mike is a drinker and a selfish self-destructive monster. He ruins his brother's campaign and almost expects an apology for it. When he learns that he's been forced into hiding, he doesn't take it lightly, but by that point, any audience should be able to see what a truly destructive force Mike really is to himself and everyone around him. The film might try to redeem him, but by the end of the second act, the damage is done.

There's honestly not much else to say about this one-note, flat comedy. Farley gives it his all, but he's strapped to a terrible screenplay that limits his comic genius and forces him into ridiculous behaviors. Same goes for Spade, who's given nothing to do at all. The film does have a few funny bits – I've always been a fan of the "speeding" bit – but most of the film is a waste of time.

It's a damn shame that Chris Farley played as hard as he did in real life. He ultimately paid the unfortunate price and now we've only got a handful of his films and his work on SNL to remind us of his wonderful comic gift. Sadly, while Black Sheep does sport a few decent comedic moments, this is simply not the best showcase of Farley's abilities.

Score: 5 out of 10

Video and Presentation

Black Sheep is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen using the AVC MPEG-4 codec on a single-layered BD25 disc, consuming 22 gigs of space. I was nervous about how this transfer would look considering Paramount's spotty track record for remastering their films when they arrive on BD. Thankfully, Black Sheep has been remastered from the original source and it's a pretty gorgeous print, free of dust or other intrusive elements. Colors and fleshtones are spot on and black levels and shadows are well defined and crisp. Depth, details and textures are noticeably sharp as well. I did spot a few edge haloes in the encode during busier sequences, but they were hardly distracting. This transfer easily tops the previous DVD in every way imaginable.

Score: 8 out of 10

Languages and Audio

Audio choices are English and French Dolby TrueHD 5.0 and Spanish Surround with English, Portuguese, French and Spanish subtitles and English captions for the hearing impaired. This isn't a very active mix. Rear surround usage is kept to the bare minimum making this track feel more like a glorified stereo track. At least dialogue is clean and crisp. Everything else about this track, however, defines average.

Score: 5 out of 10

Extras and Packaging

This single-disc BD release comes packed in a blue elite case featuring the film's original theatrical artwork. Sadly, there are no features on this disc, not even the film's original trailer. What a shame.

Score: 0 out of 10

The Bottom Line

Black Sheep has a few funny moments, but they're spread thin in this lowbrow sophomoric comedy. This BD release is a bit of a disappointment. The transfer is quite good, but the audio mix is mediocre and special features are nonexistent. What a bummer.